302 



OLYMPUS OMAR. 



but many errors might arise from this method, espe- 

 cially if there was no opportunity of immediately 

 consulting the records at Olympia ; therefore, in after 

 times, they were otherwise distinguished : for instance, 

 in Athens, to the name of the conqueror was added 

 the name of the ruling archon ; at Lacedsemon, the 

 name of the ephori ; at Argos, the name of the priest- 

 ess of Juno ; at Delphi, the name of the Pythia, &c. 

 The records, thus made and kept under the superin- 

 tendence of the magistrates, were preserved among 

 the archives of each state, where every one might 

 consult them. In later times, private persons took 

 copies. Unfortunately, none have remained to us. 



OLYMPIAS, a celebrated woman, daughter of 

 Neoptolemus king of Epirus, married Philip, king of 

 Macedonia, by whom she had Alexander the Great. 

 Her haughtiness, and, more probably, her infidelity, 

 led Philip to repudiate her, and to marry Cleopatra, 

 the niece of king Attalus. The murder of Philip, 

 which soon followed this disgrace, some have attribut- 

 ed to the intrigues of Olympias. Alexander treated 

 her with respect, but did not allow her to take part 

 in the government. Antipater succeeded Alexander 

 in the government of Macedonia, and, on his own 

 death, left the administration of the 'country to Poly- 

 sperchon, who, to confirm his power, recalled Olym- 

 pias from Epirus, whither she had fled, and confided 

 to her the guardianship of the young son of Alexan- 

 der. She now cruelly put to death Aridasus, son of 

 Philip, with his wife Eurydice, as also Nicanor, the 

 brother of Cassander, with one hundred leading men 

 of Macedon, who were inimical to her interest. Such 

 barbarities did not long remain unpunished. Cas- 

 sander, son of Antipater, besieged her in Pydna, 

 where she had retired with the remains of her family. 

 She was obliged to surrender, after an obstinate siege, 

 and was put to death. 



OLYMPIC GAMES. The Olympic games were 

 the most solemn and celebrated amongst the four sa- 

 cred games of the Greeks, which were national festi- 

 vals, and closely united the different Greek tribes. 

 The name originated from the consecrated place 

 Olympia, where they* were celebrated, or from Jupi- 

 ter Olympius, who had a famous temple on this spot. 

 The Olympian plain is now called Antilala, being 

 opposite the town of Lala. According to some tradi- 

 tions, Jupiter himself, after his victory over the Titans, 

 founded these games ; Mars gained the first prize in 

 boxing ; and Apollo overcame Mercury in the race. 

 According to others Pelops founded them in honour 

 of Jupiter. Others, again, ascribe them to the 

 Argonauts. One of the dactyli (priests of Cybele, 

 from mount Ida, whom Rhea, the wife of Saturn, had 

 called from Crete to Elis, for the education of her 

 son Jupiter), named Hercules, is also said to have 

 founded them when he, with his four brothers (Paeon- 

 eus, Ida. Jasius, and Epimedes), proceeded from Crete 

 to Elis. These 'four younger brothers contended with 

 each other for the prize in racing Hercules crown- 

 ed the victor with a wreath of olives, which was taken 

 from a peculiarly beautiful olive tree, transplanted 

 from the land of the Hyperboreans to the holy plain, 

 near Pisa. This was afterwards alone employed for 

 the victors' wreaths. Certain it is that, in the earliest 

 times of Greece, games (probably of a religious nature) 

 were celebrated in the neighbourhood of Pisa. They 

 were several times interrupted and renewed ; the first 

 time by Iphitus, prince of Elis (884 B. C.); the 

 second time by Choroebus (776 or 777), from which 

 time the Olympiads are dated. At the commence- 

 ment, the inhabitants of Pisa had the superintendence 

 of the games. But after Pisa had been destroyed by 

 the Eleans, the latter undertook the superintendence, 

 which they retained with few interruptions. They, 

 also, were the umpires, whose number was not always 



the same. A solemn oath compelled them to the 

 strictest impartiality. Officers were appointed to 

 preserve order. From all parts, spectators streamed 

 to Olympia, to attend the games. However, the 

 priestesses of Ceres excepled, only men were per- 

 mitted to be present. Females who violated this 

 law were thrown from a rock. The games always 

 commenced on the llth of the month Hecatom bason 

 (which nearly corresponds with our July), and con- 

 tinued five days. The competitors prepared them- 

 selves, during ten months previous, at the gym- 

 nasium at Elis. During the last thirty days, the 

 exercises were conducted with as much regularity as 

 at the games themselves. The festival began in the 

 evening, with solemn sacrifices, and the games were 

 commenced the next day at daybreak. These consist- 

 ed in races on horseback and on foot, in leaping, throw- 

 ing the discus,wrestling, boxing: musical and poetical 

 contests concluded the whole. The honour of having 

 gained a victory in the Olympic games was very 

 great ; it extended from the victor to his country, 

 which was proud of owning him. The magnificence 

 of the temple of Olympia has been destroyed, partly 

 in consequence of the political decay of this country, 

 partly by earthquakes. For an animated descrip- 

 tion of the Olympic games, see BartheJemy's Jeune 

 dnacharsis. 



OLYMPUS. Several mountains had, among the 

 ancients, the name of Olympus. The most cele- 

 brated of them was situated in Thessaly, and is now 

 called Lacha. The earliest Greeks looked upon it 

 as the highest of all mountains, and as the central 

 point of the earth's surface. It was the mountain of 

 heaven, or of the gods, and the gods of Homer dwelt 

 on its summit. Over its top there was supposed to 

 be an opening into the metallic dome of heaven, 

 which rested upon mountain-pillars, at the circum- 

 ference of the earth. In after times, when the ideas 

 of men respecting the universe and the gods were 

 enlarged, the supreme beings were said to reside in 

 the exterior sphere of the heavens, revolving round 

 the space which embraced the planets ; and this new 

 abode of the gods, above the firmament of heaven, 

 received the name of Olympus. Besides the open- 

 ing at the top of the mountain, there were two gates 

 in this celestial dome, which met the earth's circum- 

 ference, one in the east, the other in the west, 

 through which the sun and the night, with their 

 train, ascended from the ocean into the heavens, and 

 returned again. The gods themselves were called, 

 from their dwelling-place, whether upon earth or in 

 heaven, Olympian gods, and, as such, formed a body, 

 of which Jupiter was the head. The twelve great 

 gods composed the council of elders iu Olympus, and 

 the others, collectively, formed the general assembly. 

 They did not dwell together in a single palace, but 

 separate, in several, built upon the different tops of 

 the many-peaked Olympus. At the highest summit 

 stood the palace of Jupiter, where all assemblies and 

 feasts were held in a large hall. From thence he 

 could look down upon the earth, fill the heavens 

 with clouds, and hurl his thunderbolts. 



OMAN. See Arabia. 



OMAR I., successor of Abubeker, and second 

 caliph of the Mussulmans after Mohammed, also 

 father-in-law of the prophet, began his reign A. D. 

 634, and is conspicuous among the conquerors who 

 have desolated the face of the earth. His first ex- 

 pedition was against Damascus, capital of Syria ; he 

 drove the Greeks frpm this province and from Phoe- 

 nicia. He took Jerusalem in the year 636, after a 

 difficult siege. He entered the city upon a camel, 

 laden with two bags, one of which contained fruit, 

 and the other corn, which constituted all his provi- 

 sions. A wooden platter was his only furniture ; the 



